


Live for the Fight

by NeoVenus22



Category: Power Rangers Mystic Force
Genre: Gen, Mighty Capin' Justice Magicians
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-24
Updated: 2009-12-24
Packaged: 2017-10-05 06:06:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/38557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeoVenus22/pseuds/NeoVenus22
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>She looked at him pleadingly.  "Teach me how to fight."</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Live for the Fight

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers: 1x11, "The Gatekeeper I"

After the fight, after Koragg's ultimatum, the other four Rangers held court in the woods, trying futilely to map out a plan. Nick, however, was sure that Udonna would be able to take care of herself as long as she was in Koragg's lair, and he went back to Rootcore to see Clare.

The one with the power to either save everything or destroy it was sitting on the steps when he returned, turning the Gatekeeper's crown over in her hands. He licked his lips, composing himself, before sitting down. "How're you feeling," was the lyrical genius that spouted from him as he joined her. He didn't really expect an answer. She probably wasn't up for conversation. He couldn't imagine he would be, either.

Of course, this was Clare he was talking about, who would have indulged any conversational whim he had even if she was dying.

She gave him a watery smile, fitting, because there were tears in her eyes. "Well, today, I learned that my mother was the Gatekeeper, Udonna is my aunt, and that I have a great mystical power. So I guess I'm feeling... confused. Scared, mostly."

"Hey, you were great out there," Nick said honestly. "I was very impressed."

"That's not going to last," she laughed. "I can't believe I agreed to fight Koragg. What was I thinking?"

"You were thinking that people you cared about were in trouble, and you had to do everything in your power to save them," he said. He smiled. "We're all very proud of you, Clare. You should be proud of yourself."

"I am, I guess, it's just..." She looked at him pleadingly. "Teach me how to fight," she said.

"We don't have enough time for me to teach you what you need to know," he said. He neglected to mention that on top of that, she wasn't exactly the best student. She didn't need to hear it.

"Please," she said. "You've gone up against Koragg before, and you've always done so well. You're an amazing warrior, Nick. You're the only one that can help me."

If Chip were there, he would have spouted off the infamous _Star Wars_ line. But he wasn't. It was only Nick, and all he could think to say was, "Okay."

They cleared out space in the middle of Rootcore, tucking away Udonna's cauldron and more precious ingredients so as not to suffer her wrath when she was rescued. When, not if. "All right," said Nick, adopting a defensive stance. He couldn't teach her Gatekeeper magic. It was supposed to already be inside her, and he'd seen evidence enough that it was, and she knew how to use it. Nor could he teach her regular magic, because she wasn't exactly the pinnacle of competence where that was concerned. But he could teach her good old-fashioned street fighting, show her how to throw a punch and take a hit. She was small, so he could teach her how to use her speed. It wasn't much, but it could come in handy. He looked at her, and her gaze was steely and serious. "Come and get me."

Clare charged, arms out for balance, but set too far, making her a bigger target if not one that was flailing inanely. Nick threw up one arm to block, effortlessly, and relaxed. "Clare, you have to tighten. Tuck. If there's less of you, he won't know where your attack is coming from. More importantly, if there's less of you, there's less of you to hit."

Clare nodded, and they resumed their positions. He tried to watch her for telltale twitches, but she kept them to a shocking minimum, striking at him. He knocked her arm aside, taking advantage of her opening, but she blocked him back. Nick's lips quirked slightly, too occupied to smile just yet. He kicked, and she caught his leg. "Nice move," he praised.

"Got it from watching you," she answered, and he was surprised, both at the notion that she watched him fight, and at the fact that the idea of it made him blush.

"You won't be able to do it with Koragg, though," he said. "The guy's huge."

"Are you saying I'm small?"

"If the tiny shoe fits," he teased.

"Look who's talking!" she said with an expression of amused indignation.

"Are you calling me small?" He was thrown for a loop by how quickly the tables had turned, and he didn't like it.

"C'mon, even Vida's taller than you." She was full-out grinning at him now.

"I wouldn't go that far," he dismissed, though he felt a burn of truth.

"Would you like me to conjure her up for a comparison?" There was a distinctive twinkle in her eye. Personal attack aside, he was glad to once more see the Clare he knew. The Clare he'd met today, forced to bear the burden of the Gatekeeper mantle, while impressive, made him sad. He wasn't sure why.

When that sadness hit him, he remembered why they were there. "I thought you wanted to fight."

With that, she sobered, her face become a mask again. She nodded curtly. "You're right. Let's go."

They spent the next half hour sparring back and forth across Rootcore relentlessly, not even pausing for breath. Her hair came loose of its ponytail, wisps of it falling in her eyes, which interestingly showed no signs of tiredness. Beads of sweat made tracks down Nick's forehead and the back of his neck, but he did his best to duck her onslaught and fire back. She was getting better. He wished Udonna was here to see; maybe Clare was not a great sorceress, but with practice, she had the potential to shape into a good fighter.

Before long, though, Koragg's patience wore out, and Nick's head throbbed with the telepathic warning from the wizard. "All right," he said, dropping his hands. "We're done here."

Clare abandoned her fighting stance, but her body still radiated tension. "Okay."

"You'll do fine," he said.

"I have to," she said resolutely. "Udonna's the only family I've ever had. Even before I knew she was actually family. I have to help her." She walked over and collected the crown, a thick band of silvery metal that bore none of the elegance usually associated with the diadem. She stared at it for a long time, her knuckles whitening as she clutched the chunky circle that was her inheritance, and she finally turned to him. "Do you think I'm ready?"

He was beginning to wonder if any of them would ever be ready. They weren't trained enough, they weren't skilled enough, they were just kids. Just kids with magic they didn't understand, fighting in a war that was bigger than any of them. And Clare... well, they all knew how capable she wasn't. Still, Nick found that he had as much faith in her as he had in Udonna or Madison or the others. Clare might not have been a Ranger, but she was part of the team. She was its heart, always smiling at the Rangers after a hard-won victory, always providing much-needed levity, whether she meant to or not. She was part of the team, and as part of the team, she pulled from the well of strength that the others provided. And she needed to know that well was deep.

Nick, reaching, kissed the peak of her forehead where the jewel of her crown would rest. "I believe in you," he promised. "And I'm right behind you. We all are."

"Thanks, Nick," she said, and they smiled at each other. Hers was nervous; his, cautious. "For everything. I'm going to make you all proud of me, I promise."

Clare was sent off to battle with the well-wishes of her friends, delivered in soft voices that belied their apprehension and decided lack of conviction. With both Clare and Udonna gone, the Rootcore felt impossibly large, like the cavern it was. The five Rangers desired a certain sense of closeness in this phenomenon, and they crowded around the crystal ball. Nick kept his arms crossed tightly over his chest, trying to keep himself bursting from anxiety.

"We shouldn't have let Clare go on her own," said Madison, at last voicing the opinion they seemed to share. The responsibility weighing heavy over them. They were the Rangers, this was their job, and they'd sent Clare in their stead. Nick was starting to feel guilty.

"You saw how she sent Necrolai running," Vida was quick to point out.

"Yeah," Nick agreed, "but Koragg's a whole other story." It was settling deep in his stomach, the worry. There hadn't been enough time. He'd been fighting Koragg solo for weeks now, and he still couldn't beat the guy; how could he be expected to school Clare in that art?

But he gazed into the ball, watching Clare stride forward with the purple cloth fluttering around her face, and pure determination in her eyes, and a new bolt of confidence surged in him. Koragg may have been a whole other story, but so was Clare.


End file.
